Whimsical
by DramaticWhim
Summary: It all started when her brother wanted her help in order to defeat Weed. When everything began to change for something so much more and Royal Road became her world, she did not know. Gen. Legendary Moonlight Sculptor.
1. Prologue

"I can't take this anymore! Gahee! You got to avenge me!"

The door slammed and a girl jumped, dropping her book at the elder boy's sudden invasion of her room. She stared incredulously as the boy started typing on her computer furiously,

"What?"

The boy nodded solemnly, seemingly ignoring her shock. "I know. It's a tall order, but you're the only one I can trust with this, sis. We need to beat Weed from Continent of Magic."

The girl rolled over her stomach to glance over his shoulder, deadpanning as she saw a website of expensive capsules instead, "With Royal Road."

The boy sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head at his little sister's obliviousness.

"Geez. Keep up with the times, sis. Just watch. The greedy bastard already sold his CoM account so I bet all my money that he'll join the Royal Road hype." His eyes then glinted darkly with evil laughter, "But by then we'll already be of higher levels and earning more money — enough money to rub in his jealous face as we slaughter him! Mwahahaha!"

He shouted as he bought two capsules with a dramatic mouse click. The girl only hummed indifferently, pointing out to the guy who fervently hoped she wouldn't notice.

"That was my cash account just now, wasn't it."

It wasn't even a question. He groveled frantically for forgiveness before running back out desperately at the face of no mercy.

"KIM MALCHIN!"

"I promise to pay you back later! Really! Just let me play — please — I have no more money left, but please please please I just want to play—"

…

…

 **Whimsical**

…

…

Although everyone only ever saw her lazing around reading books in school or at home on the couch, to those who really knew her, she was a whimsical try-hard with a motto to do everything to the extreme. In a way, that made her normal. After all, she could be extremely lazy or extremely hard-working depending on her mood.

But Kim Malchin could attest to anyone that his sister was not normal with her raked up list of accomplishments and skills. After all, there was a reason why the Kim household could still remain standing even with their parents almost never around. And the reason definitely wasn't him, who practically worshipped comics and games despite being a senior in high school.

"Hehehe, damn Weed, this time I'll be the one killing you and hogging all the good items and fame!"

...

Kim Gahee shook her head as she watched ten million won be installed in her room in the form of a capsule. Although games were all the rage in her middle school (Royal Road even more so after six months of advertising and trials), she still preferred books over them. But the money did come out of her bank account so she decided to give it a try.

(Not to mention, the added motivation of being able to read more in VR due to the 1:4 time transition...)

Thus, after thanking the workers, she set aside her book and entered the capsule.

 **\- Connect to Royal Road? -**

 **Yes|No**

There was no reason to even hesitate.

"Yes."

...

...

Gahee hummed as she observed her cosmic surroundings with a slight smile. Virtual reality was more real than she thought, and the galaxy background that wasn't mentioned in the beginner's manual was a welcomed surprise. A female's voice resounded in her ears upon full connection.

— **The scan on your iris and vein has determined that you are an unregistered user. Do you want to create a new account? —**

 **Yes|No**

"Yes."

— **Select the name of your avatar. —**

"Whimsical." Whimsical since her avatar was made on her brother's whim (though he would definitely say that this revenge or whatever was serious enough to risk life if he had heard).

— **Select your gender from male, female, or neutral. —**

"Female."

— **Royal Road has forty-nine races. You may select your race from the primary twenty-nine…—**

"Human."

— **You may alter your appearance… —**

A blush dusted her cheeks as she twirled her long brown hair,

"L-light blue hair and eyes." To her delight, a mirror appeared and she could watch her brown eyes change to the same color as her hair was now. Although she did like her real appearance, it had always been her dream to have a magical blue theme to herself. Happier she listened as the voice told her about her activated account with a hum. Finally, it asked,

— **Select a city and kingdom you want to start in. —**

"The Citadel of Velvet, Aidern Kingdom."

— **Welcome to Royal Road. Would you like to hear the tutorial? —**

"Pass."

Having already read the manual and studied the websites her brother told her to visit (knowing that she knew only the bare minimum about games), Kim Gahee skipped the tutorial stage. It was also through thorough research that Gahee figured out that her brother half-used Weed as an excuse to barge into her room, use her cash account which was already on her laptop, and buy the Royal Road game capsules he heard so much about but couldn't play due to wasting all his yearly allowance on comics and other games earlier. She sighed as she wondered how badly her brother's grade was going to drop to catch up to his 'enemy' since Weed's account was sold nearly a year ago.

Shaking her head, she embraced the engulfing light.

…

In Royal Road, there are over a hundred major cities and thousands of towns. A new player always begins their adventure in a capital or major city of comparable size.

As it would turn out, Whimsical and her brother would appear in different capitals. The near-adult was serious about getting more money than Weed, after all. Seeing how Weed made 3,090,000,000 won off his CoM account though, they had a long way to go with the accounts they made on the auction website. Thus, it was decided that they start in separate relatively unexplored areas.

Aidern Kingdom was one such place.

With a flash of light, Whimsical found herself amidst haggling and chattering characters — all sorts of avatars and NPCs busily coming and going through the marketplace.

Ignoring the newbie comments, she looked around and stretched her body. Directions for using the basic interface and a map of the kingdom appeared in the corner of her eyes, but she swiped them away in favor of finding the Training Hall her brother told her about.

Since newcomers were confined to their city of origin for a week in reality and her school had a month-long summer vacation, she was pretty much Stat-raising for a month straight.

Licking her lips, her newly blue eyes lit with determination.

She always did things to the extreme, but seeing how she was new while gaming was her useless brother's domain… If she was really going to do this, then she was really going to have to up her usual to catch up and surpass him first. She didn't want to be a 'lower level' than him.

" _Ever."_

...

Her brother had told her that it would be rare to find someone in the Training Hall with the scarecrows. To her surprise, he was actually right despite her having seen some other newbies appear with a flash of light in Central Square. Perhaps, it was better that way. She didn't like crowds.

"Young adventurer, I presume you have arrived at the Versailles continent very recently." The brawn instructor said, though his eyes were a bit disappointed.

"Yes, sir." She deadpanned, wondering if she was going to have special treatment from an NPC of all things due to the usual sexism.

"You shall find sword training absolutely necessary when you come to confront monsters. For now, take any unattended scarecrow and strike him in any way you want. A wooden sword is placed in front of a scarecrow, and it is all yours. Do you need my guidance?"

"Yeah. Thanks, kind sir."

He nodded warmly, "It is my job to help, madam."

Guiding her to a scarecrow, he showed her some basic moves. She hummed attentively before thanking the man again and beginning to beat it herself. Her hands gradually got accustomed to the weight of the wooden sword and sense of hitting the scarecrow as she worked purely on practice without a minute's break.

 ***Ting***

— **Strength has risen by 1 point (+1 STR) —**

A shocked laugh escaped her at the sudden noise, cutting through her concentration. Excitement filled her though when she saw a definite sign that she was getting stronger, and she couldn't stop laughing after she saw the time.

"Six hours! Six hours and I _finally_ got only _one_ point stronger! Oh my gosh, that's — I wonder how that Malchin's doing — that's way too funny!" Hurriedly, she shouted, "Open Stats Window!"

 **Avatar: Whimsical**

 **Alignment: Neutral**

 **Profession: None**

 **Title: None**

 **Level: 1**

 **Fame: 0**

 **Health: 100**

 **Mana: 100**

 **Strength: 11**

 **Agility: 10**

 **Vitality: 10**

 **Wisdom: 10**

 **Intelligence: 10**

 **Charisma: 5**

 **Offence: 3**

 **Defense: 0**

 **Luck: 5**

 **Magic Resistance: None**

Laughing at the weakness of her avatar, she grinned more excited than ever about Royal Road, "I could get used to this." She decided in amusement as she voraciously bit into barley bread and took a swig of water from her canteen. The bread was stale and stone-hard, and the water tasted like it came out of a garden hose, but she raised her sword and attacked with more power than ever and a newfound grin,

"So this is a game, huh?"

— **Five hours later —**

 ***Ting***

 **Vitality has risen by 1 point (+1 VIT)**

 **Agility has risen by 1 point (+ AGI)**

Two stats rose at the same time and Whimsical was tempted to continue, but felt a dangerously burning thirst in her throat. Sighing, she ate another piece of barley bread, sipped enough water, and rested for three minutes in content.

And then, she continued.

…

"Malchin! You're finally playing! And you're actually doing the Training Hall challenge? What are you, crazy?"

The amateur newbie laughed, playfully pushing away his real-life friends that came to visit him. He continued beating the scarecrow shortly afterwards though, grinning,

"Of course. I'm going to raise my stats, become the best player with my sister, and beat that greedy bastard!" He added offhandedly, "And my name's Worth now."

The group gaped, "Your crazy little sister's playing?"

"Hey!" Worth defended with a growl, "She's not crazy! She's just bored because she's not as stupid as all of you!"

"Whoa, whoa, easy, Worth," The Knight calmed, sheepishly apologizing, "We didn't mean it. It's just… wow. That same girl who became a black belt, won a national art competition, read all the books in the library, and god knows what else because she refuses to be half-assed about anything she does is here?"

At that, even the brother had to sweat-drop. He slashed the scarecrow with more energy though, speaking resolutely, "She is, but so what? This is our realm. There's no way we don't have more determination and ability to win now."

"...Ou!" They shouted in agreement with laughter. The Knight then spoke, "You too. There's no way we're letting you catch up. We're going to be the ones to beat Weed — whenever he decides to show up."

"May the best player win then."

…

Forty hours passed and finally, she ran out of barley bread and water. Unable to continue without risking a ridiculous death by starvation, she walked out of the Training Hall after a short parting conversation with the instructor. The whole world lit before her eyes and she gazed in awe at the beautiful rich capital taken out of medieval times.

Despite it being early morning, the marketplace was still filled with people shouting and haggling over each other under the clear sky. The sun was rising, dazzling everything with its radiant golden light. The bookworm really wondered if this was just a game until her ears caught,

"Selling Red Bean Bread made with beginner cooking skill 7!"

Whimsical beamed before remembering that she had no money. She couldn't buy more food. She couldn't even go to the Cooking Guild to get the cooking skill with how she had no money to enter.

"How bothersome… I already know how to cook too…"

"Really, young lady~?!" Blue eyes blinked and she glanced behind her to see a merry, portly man in a chef's costume. " _No… Not a costume… He is a chef?"_ The man grinned, grabbing her hands enthusiastically, "That's great! You seemed hungry so I was going to offer you a dishwashing job, but want to be my apprentice as well?"

 ***Ting***

— **You have received a job offer! —**

If you accept it, you will take an honored position of dishwasher in the restaurant Velvet Underground. You are entitled to receive apprenticeship training in cooking and a weekly income of seven silvers. Will you accept this job offer?

"Yes! I'll gladly become your apprentice, master!"

 ***Ting***

— **You have accepted the job! —**

"Dahahaha, you don't have to be so polite, young lady~" The man laughed with flattered red cheeks before taking her along to his restaurant with a sharp glint of his brown eyes, "Now we must hurry. We have a lot of work to do — it's a full house, Whimsical!"

At that, the man broke into a mad dash. Whimsical was stunned at his unexpectedly fast speed as she was dragged along. Unknown to her, her life had just gotten more interesting.


	2. Whim 1: Class

Upon reaching the back kitchen of Velvet Underground, she was set to work, washing the mountain of dirty dishes after the man gave her a white bandana to cover her long hair (and a piece of bread to satiate her hunger so she didn't die in the kitchen). Then, he hurried away, quickly ordering his 'lazy' employees to work faster despite them already doing so. He too was busy working — sauteing, baking, and a whole list of things as he practically became a tornado in the kitchen.

"Amazing…" Whimsical stared, stunned by the simple NPC chef who didn't even have a name yet was more graceful than any human being she had ever seen before. Her hands slowed as she just wanted to watch the head chef multi-task as if it was nothing, reading orders, cooking, and still being able to masterfully order around his subordinates at the same time.

"WHIMSICAL, QUICKLY!" He shouted though, and she jumped and quickly returned to washing dishes. Her heart thumped. She was never truly yelled at before and that, too, was quite an experience as she concentrated solely on diminishing the still large mountain.

 ***Ting***

 **Vitality has risen by 1 point (+1 VIT)**

After five hours, Whimsical's eyes widened at the pop-up message, staring in disbelief that her vitality could be risen by washing dishes. She checked the time and then the still large mountain that didn't even halve yet.

" _No way… Seriously?! How are there so many dishes?"_

Glancing back at the chef who was still working without a sweat, she wondered if all NPCs were as amazingly supernatural at their one job like him…

"Whimsical…" The man warned and she eep-ed,

"I'm working, master, I'm working!"

…

Whimsical didn't even notice when the restaurant was finally closing until all the NPC chefs laughed and heartily slapped her on the back for doing a good job. She blushed as they all crowded around the sink to help her out with washing the dishes. She slumped as she stared at that demonic mountain,

" _I never do anything half-assed… Yet for the first time in years, I wasn't able to complete something I set myself to doing…"_

More determinedly, she decided to train so she could work faster tomorrow. Still, she groaned, embarrassed that the chefs had to help her in the end, " _And to think I would need help for something like washing dishes."_

"Dahahaha~" The head chef laughed, "Don't feel discouraged, Whimsical! You were great! These are just leftovers from morning, but take these pieces of bread as thanks!"

And so, Whimsical left Velvet Underground after 12 hours of work, feeling more tired than when she had been beating scarecrows. Still, after filling her canteen at the fountain of Central Square and eating bread, she determinedly headed straight for said scarecrows to continue training.

Having concentrated and still concentrating so hard, she didn't notice as the pop-up messages continued ringing.

…

When two weeks had passed in game time, Whimsical beamed as she was finally able to finish washing all the dishes by closing time. A sense of accomplishment emanated within her as she could finally clean the sink top and her surroundings. She colored crimson when she noticed the chefs around her clapped and cheered in worshipping awe as well at the sparkling clean sink area.

"By Gods! She actually finished!"

"The mountain's gone! The mountain's gone!"

"This… This has to go to the records! I thought it was impossible to finish washing all the dishes before closing time even with five men, but she did it all by herself… And here I thought Head Chef was crazy for not hiring more dishwashers…"

"You're my hero." A man dreamily said and Whimsical stared blankly as the words slowly sunk in,

"What?"

The head chef laughed heartily, "Dahahaha, Whimsical, I swear you have the best concentration I have ever seen yet — and the greatest work ethic! Great work on washing those dishes; I always believed in you, my dear!"

Her brows furrowed and the vice head shook his head exasperatedly at the old man, explaining, "We normally have around five freemen helping out with the dishes. They normally quit, take long breaks, or just leave without a word. No one had ever lasted past the third day." An acknowledging smile lit his stoic features, "Quite impressive, young lady." Turning back to the others, he shouted, "Now get back home, you crowding idiots! No complaining if you're tired tomorrow because you were late to sleep!"

They grumbled, but left with heavy fatigue from another day of busy cooking. The vice head chef bowed his head before, too, leaving them alone. Feeling proud at her accomplishment and red with the compliments, Whimsical didn't even have enough energy to feel angry that she overworked and didn't notice. The head chef smiled as he brought out a chair,

"Sit here, Whimsical. We have much to talk about."

"We do?" She tiredly asked, but did so anyways, curious about the graceful man she couldn't help but admire upon the first day. She was disappointed that the first day was the only day she saw him work, though, because she was too into training and washing dishes. Sheepishly, she smiled inwardly. Her brother always complained that once she put her mind to doing something, she would never stop except for short necessary breaks to eat, drink, etc.

"Of course! After all, aren't you my apprentice?" He grinned widely with bright brown eyes until he saw her blink,

"Ah!"

"...you forgot."

"Ehehehe — ittai. That hurt, master." She whined upon being whacked on the head with a frying pan. Head Chef scoffed dismissively and crossed his arms,

"Your concentration will be your downfall one day, my dear. Don't tell me that you didn't learn anything about cooking in my kitchen after two weeks?"

"Was I supposed to?"

He pinched the bridge of his stubby nose, "The problem with the spoiled young these days…"

"I take offense to that." She offered, having not been spoiled for years. Whimsical could count on a hand how many times she saw both of her parents for the past five years. Since her brother was lazy as well, she always had to do things herself — like learning how to cook, for example.

The Head Chef observed the girl's own frown before clarifying, "You are independent and strong, Whimsical. That I can tell." Whimsical opened her mouth, but he continued, "You are also spoiled by your narrow thinking, however, and believed that information would be spelled out. Thus, you focused on one thing and lost Wisdom."

And she closed it, widening her eyes when she really did lose a point of Wisdom in her stats. A new stat, Concentration, also appeared in one of the empty slots and she incredulously wondered when she gained it. She wondered if she even noticed much of anything for the past days and saddened. All she could remember of two in-game weeks were training and dish-washing, despite the potential of many other things in the beautiful game world. The chef smiled gently, placing his frying pan on the stove to cook.

"It is of no matter though." She glanced up to see his eyes light again with excitement. "You are still young. You can still make a lot of all sorts of mistakes. The key is only learning from them and listening to your elders, my dear. So let this old man teach you a few things about Perception." The fire roared awake. Her eyes widened at the beauty of his quick movements as he cooked, but he stopped her from focusing with a question, "What is the purpose of letting a young pup who knows nothing into a professional kitchen, much less to wash dishes?"

At that moment, the speed of Whimsical's brain racking could be heard as she thought faster than before despite being mesmerized by the deft cooking performed before her eyes. She thought of her regrets and when she first admired his ability to cook masterpieces while ordering everyone in the kitchen. As soon as she realized, her ears rang.

"By having a job like washing dishes, I would be allowed in the kitchen to watch professionals cook without getting in the way. I would be able to learn cooking at the kitchen's busiest and thus finest moments!"

 ***Ting***

 **New Stat: Perception**

You will be able to see the world in more detail and pay better attention to your surroundings. You are prohibited from distributing any bonus points to this stat, and it will rise spontaneously depending on the avatar's action.

Her heart pounded as the fire roared again and she could suddenly smell the individual ingredients and spices being used in the stir fried noodles. Oil sizzled louder in her ears as the vibrant colored vegetables intensified before her eyes. She could almost taste the heavenly mixture as the man boomed proudly,

"Correct! Now, Whimsical, are you finally willing to learn how to cook?"

"Yes, master!" With no message popping up though, she tilted her head, "Aren't you going to teach me Cooking Skills first, master?"

A new bump appeared on her head and she sulked under his dangerously dark voice.

"Whimsical… What did you just learn...?"

"No information appears already explained." " _From you."_ She mentally completed vindictively, but she enjoyed the thorough hands on lesson from the fatherly man anyways.

Finally, after many dishes were made with his help, she heard the familiar ring.

 ***Ting***

 **New Skill: Cooking**

Whimsical cheered, already making many plans to cook for tomorrow's training session at the Training Hall. Watching the girl so happy made the Head Chef smile softly. He patted her bandana-topped hair, murmuring,

"I guess this is goodbye then?"

As ready as Whimsical was to leave the restaurant, having achieved both of her goals to learn Cooking Skills and finish washing an entire mountain of dishes, she froze at the thought before shaking her head. A large childish grin settled on her face as she cheekily pointed out, "Not yet. I still have to learn master's cooking while washing dishes, remember?"

"!" The NPC's eyes nearly watered before he nodded, "Dahaha, of course!"

She smiled. After all, she had to stay within the city for the rest of the month anyways. It was negotiated to hire other dishwashers though so she could have a three hour shift instead of one full day's worth of work.

With how her wisdom was still lowered, Whimsical realized she was going to have to spend time at the library to raise it back up through books. While she was fast at reading in real life, it was definitely going to be time-consuming still. She didn't mind. Instead, her mouth drooled at the thought.

" _Boooooooksss…"_

…

Another week had passed and Whimsical found herself really enjoying Royal Road. Her avatar was slowly getting better and better, one point by one point for now. She became friends with the Training Hall Instructor as well after a few conversations to pass by time. A sweat dropped as she had to concede to her brother's obsession of getting revenge since that guy still wasn't bored of beating thousands of scarecrows yet.

It was as if the siblings switched places as she found herself more eager to do many things after meeting Head Chef. Especially at once as the NPC was inspiringly good at multi-tasking.

Then, one day, her Training Hall Instructor initiated the daily idle conversation, "By the way, Whimsical, why do you think the the palace of Aidern Kingdom is named the Velvet Castle? It's such an odd name, don't you think?"

"It is, indeed. I, too, wonder why now." Whimsical hummed, about to offer a reason. The muscular man spoke first though,

"I knew you would listen to me seriously, Whimsical. Would you help me find out why the castle is named after that? I am asking because you're a smart and trustworthy girl. If you accept my request, then I'd be happy to hear it."

Although she had done a few quests so far, Whimsical was not expecting the pop-up message to appear for a whimsical thought. She read incredulously,

 ***Ting***

 **Quest: The Meaning Behind the Name Velvet Castle:**

The Instructor wants to understand the reason why the palace of Aidern Kingdom is named the Velvet Castle. Find out the reason to tell him!

 **Difficulty Level:** E

 **Quest Requirements:**

Enough friendship with the Instructor for idle chatter.

Acknowledged as reliable by the Instructor for a constant passion for Sword Mastery.

Wisdom, Perception, and Intelligence over 30

Whimsical blinked as she gazed at the last two requirements which she just recently attained after constant diligence. Excitement flooded her when she realized that the quest must have been extremely rare since not many could have been both training hard for long hours in the Training Hall everyday and reading over a hundred books in the library. That kind of time required lots of patience and effort.

Even if they had trained and read at the same time, even less people would have chatted with the Instructor just for the sake of talking. And although she wasn't exactly sure about how she gained the Stat Perception, it was a new stat and one that an NPC gave her. She was sure it was at least uncommon.

She grinned, curious as to where the quest would lead to.

"Of course, I'd be glad to accept. Velvet Castle really is a random name, considering how nothing here even has to do with tailoring."

 ***Ting***

— **You have accepted the quest! —**

"I appreciate it, Whimsical. I entrust you with this task. I'm sure you'll be able to find an answer."

…

The library, of course, was Whimsical's first location when she walked out of the Training Hall. Greeting the librarian upon entering, she headed straight for the history section with books about Aidern's past. A sigh of love escaped her as she dove into the world of words.

Despite being a beautiful place, Aidern Kingdom was also a curious place filled with tales of betrayals, plagues, and countless opportunity. There were accidents and conflicts everywhere as well as numerous bands of thieves. Bordered by the sea, there were pirates. Bordered by mountains, there were bandits. Not to mention, there were a tug of war of confidence all around. Even weather predictions were a coin toss. Being south and near a desert, there was a constant heat haze befuddling minds. Yet there were also random but frequent rains, enough to form large channels of rivers and abundant forests.

Thus, numerous forums had warned against picking Aidern Kingdom as a starting place — the land itself seemed to be a con artist. The forums were also why she picked it though; the population of avatars here was comparably smaller than other areas.

There were still many people though. To pick Aidern, you were either a gambler, a thrill-seeker, an aspiring villain, an introvert, or an environmentalist. Or you didn't care, a thought that made up quite a lot of people's decisions in the gaming world.

Whimsical sighed as she found nothing on the name of Velvet Castle despite searching through centuries' worth of founding history. Closing the fifth thick book she read through, she walked to the librarian's desk,

"Excuse me. Do you know how the Velvet Castle got its name?"

The librarian's mousey face only scrunched in thought, "Odd… I read all the books here, but now that I think about it… Why is it named that? Aidern's a weird word as well. I've never read it outside of the words 'Aidern Kingdom'. Can you do me a favor and look into that as well?"

 ***Ting***

 **Quest: The Word 'Aidern'**

Aidern is an unconventional word. The librarian wonders what it means and is interested in hearing about the meaning of Velvet Castle as well.

 **Difficulty Level:** E

Although Whimsical accepted and left the library, she had to arch a brow at the quest. " _What is with people and names today?"_ She wondered as she walked around the citadel, asking random people now. Since she couldn't leave the city and the library had no answers, she was left with only asking questions.

Oddly enough, in the Citadel of Velvet, there were no tailor shops around. Fabric was taxed more heavily in the marketplace, but it was popular enough for merchants to sell them since the closest clothing shop was in a city a few kilometers away. Having not even checked out any of the stores yet, however, Whimsical hadn't cared about the lack of a clothing shop in the city. If anything, she'd buy weapons and armor first.

Now that she thought about it though, it certainly was odd.

"Velvet roses on sale! Velvet roses—"

Her head whipped around as her ears just barely caught the faint bargain. Dashing to the far outskirts of the citadel, she stared up at a hidden florist shop on the third floor of a plain building with the sole redeeming feature of smelling like flowery perfume.

"Perception…" She realized as she saw nothing but tall gray shacks all around her in the impoverished slum area of the Citadel. Unless one was lost, there was no way they could have found the florist shop. To hear the girl's voice from far away as well would require the Stat. She entered.

The small florist girl gave her a joyous welcome.

"Welcome, welcome! So people really could hear my voice! Yay!"

Whimsical smiled as she squatted down, speaking kindly to the little kid, "Yes. My ears couldn't ignore such a sweet child. May I ask how much are the velvet roses? I'll buy a bouquet from you."

"They're seven silvers, miss!" The kid grinned, revealing a gap in her toothy smile. Although the flowers made crudely out of velvet fabric was overpriced, Whimsical could tell that the girl needed it from the falling wallpaper and dirt everywhere. It saddened her that even amidst the rich capital were the poor. The girl twirled with happiness upon receiving the money and tilted her head up, "Do you still need anything miss?"

Whimsical smiled sheepishly, "Yes, in fact. Would you happen to know why the Velvet Castle is named the way it is? I'm a foreigner interested in history."

"Oh! I do, I do!" The girl shouted before nodding with a beam, running back towards her squatted form to whisper, "Momma always said that this has to be a secret, but you bought my flowers so I trust you! You see, there's an old legend that the founding king of Aidern was in love!"

Then, a mysterious flashback flittered before Whimsical's eyes.

…

There was a wealthy man who couldn't trust anything but money. He bought and sold many goods, constantly trying to make profits. He had many enemies and people he ruined. The only people he could trust to protect him were people who loved money as much as he, mercenaries.

He was infamous. He was focused. He loved and saw only money.

He was alone, betraying and being betrayed. The mercenaries and money were his only constants.

Then, one rainy day, he heard a melodious voice, smelled a heavenly aroma, and followed to see the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He proposed to her that very day with velvet flowers and the two were married within a week.

"I would do anything for you."

He promised to be a better person and never do evil again. He made amends, donated, and bought more and more land with his fortunes to become powerful for her.

He became king for her.

But she would not become a queen for him.

In the end, it was all about money and that… was all what she wanted.

…

 ***Ting***

 **Quest Completed: The Meaning Behind the Name Velvet Castle:**

Although what happens after the broken promise of love remains largely unknown, the castle was named after velvet roses, the promise of eternal love!

"A tragedy worthy of the darkest kingdom full of betrayals…"

Whimsical muttered and she didn't even notice as her fists clenched until she saw a class conversion window pop up.

 ***Ting***

 **Class Change: Poison Temptress (Hidden):**

You can convert to a secret class Poison Temptress. If you accept it, you can learn exclusive skills for the class that are withheld from the primary classes.

Do you want to convert to Poison Temptress?

 **Yes|No**

There were an infinite number of user bustling around in attempt to discover secret classes in Royal Road. She could think of thousands of people who would want this class — the ability to completely woo even a greedy man who cared only about money. An ability with poisons to make someone fall addictively in love.

"I refuse."

 ***Ting***

Please confirm your decision. You can convert to secret class Poison Temptress. Do you want to convert to Poison Temptress?

 **Yes|No**

"I refuse." Whimsical repeated.

If anything, Whimsical would completely get rid of that class. Resolute, she decided to never tell anyone about the mere existence of the quest.

"Are you okay, big sis?"

"Yeah. I'm alright. Thanks for telling me the story."

"Mm! Momma told me it to remember to never be so greedy 'cause it'll bite you back like with the king!" The girl grinned toothily again, mimicking the large maws of a wolf. Whimsical laughed, ruffling the cute girl's head.

"Indeed no one likes a really greedy person." She snorted as she remembered her goal — her brother's hatred of the 'greedy bastard' named Weed. It was like fate to have this quest.

After placing the velvet rose in her inventory, she walked out.

As soon as she was out, however, she ran. Although the flashback only said the king's name once, she had saw his face. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew it could be no one else.

It took her five minutes to run to the most selfless guy she knew.

 _Slam._ "Aldern!"

…

Her brother always told her it was an annoying habit, but she couldn't help but tap her fingers against the chair nervously. The door was behind her and they were in an office. He, however, was fast and just a few meters away from her to boot. Granted, they did have a table between them—

"Dahaha, Whimsical, I did tell you that your concentration would be your downfall one day~"

She froze at the cold feeling on her throat; a butcher knife was ready to draw blood from her jugular, but he took off the pressure to return to behind his desk. Whimsical gulped and felt even more nervous at what seemed to be just a joke…

"So… your name's really Aldern, master? Founding King of the Kingdom of Aidern?"

Then, the smile slipped off the jolly fat man as he admitted, "That, I was."

They both stared at each other at a standstill. Whimsical gazed at his chubby stomach — a result from constantly eating his witch of a wife's homemade, but drugged cooking.

"...What happened in the end? After you caught her with another man, speaking of what she did to you?"

"Dahaha, isn't it obvious, Whimsical?" She paused, but he confessed anyways, "I killed her."

The flashback continued.

…

One night, the king came home, finding his wife with another man. She spoke of motive and scheme. He spoke with action from behind. All it took was one knife.

They had only been married for three months.

When reality hit him, he panicked. He asked the mercenaries to help, but they were already tired of the man, disappointed that he gave all his wealth for a woman and pointlessly more land. They blackmailed him with the information and left with all the money.

He was alone.

As if influenced by his greed, the kingdom's subjects were greedy and apathetic to his plight. As if influenced by the constant sins and backstabbings that ensued, the land itself raged with plagues and chaotic weather. Opportunity was everywhere, but most of it was at the cost of another.

Seeing what he had caused, the king was distraught and depressed. He tried to talk people to sense, but they didn't listen. He tried to get them to not repeat his mistakes, but they saw no reason.

It took little time at all for a kingdom born out of love (as false as it was) to fall into the worst kingdom of them all.

Angered, Aldern attempted to burn down the castle that started it all. He tripped over his stubby legs and found a secret room filled with fungus. He physically died, but became a dread ghoul.

Finally, the man broke down. After letting loose, however, he came to an epiphany…

…

"Why not take my greatest revenge by turning what killed me into what saves people?"

There was nothing to describe the luminous power of Aldern as he spoke. Whimsical couldn't understand how the man could suffer so much yet live decades after as a monster attempting to atone and redress all that had plagued a kingdom not his anymore as a result.

"I wasn't the smartest man around. It took me years to get cooking right, and it took me decades to learn how to nullify poisonous ingredients so they could be eaten harmlessly. I still don't know how to do it all — and I'm nowhere as young as I used to be. In the end, I'm afraid, I failed."

"Master, don't say that. You're a brave man who only wanted to trust, but was betrayed by everyone else. Yet you found the courage to overcome that and become the charismatic genius that everyone wants to eat food from. You became legendary to all of us, master. I believe in you. You can save this kingdom."

"...Thank you, my dear. I am not as good as you say, but thank you." He spoke gruffly in mild embarrassment before coughing and banging his fist on the desk, "The truth still stands. I've been preserving my body, but it's been rotting lately."

"You don't mean—"

"Yes… My time draws near, Whimsical." He then grinned, "It's only luck however that I met you, my greatest apprentice. You don't have to feel obligated to accept or anything… But what do you say to becoming my successor, my dear? To learning some last tricks from this tired old ghoul?"

 ***Ting***

 **Quest: Become Aldern's Successor**

For decades, Aldern has taught himself cooking to restore the Aidern Kingdom to its initial glory in the very way he was ruined. Despite his efforts and dream, however, his body will soon finishing decaying. Learn his last tricks and set out to finish what he began as his rightful successor.

 **Difficulty:** D

 **Quest Requirement:**

Knowledge of Aldern's Past

Outstanding Relationship with Aldern

Whimsical knew she should probably become an Explorer, a Thief, or even a Magician to help her melee brother with his goal. After all, that was the only reason why he bought the games — and that was why she started playing. Their goal was to defeat Weed.

Somewhere along the lines, however, she found herself too absorbed into this alternate world filled with deep characters and countless beauty. She found herself learning more than she had for years. She fell in love with seeing definite results after training and improving. She wanted to—

That moment, Whimsical knew what she truly wanted to do in the world.

"Of course I accept, master. Why wouldn't I want to be your successor?"

 ***Ting***

 **You have accepted the quest!**

Already knowing the old man, she could honestly say that she wasn't expecting an immediate class change or added skills as soon as she said that. Instead, the man boomed, ruffling her bandana-covered hair, as he got up, yelling,

"Chefs! Out! We're closing for today!"

"What?!"

"Don't what me! I said get out!"

…

Once the kitchen cleared and the restaurant closed, Aldern brought out a large wooden box. As he unlocked it, he asked.

"Say, Whimsical, how good are you with poisons?" He nodded upon seeing her blank face, "Good. That's the way it should be. No one deserves to be poisoned. There's no honor or anything. It's just a torturous way to die."

"...So why are you bringing this up now?"

"Drink this."

You could say that Whimsical was a little girl. She was fine with that. It was true since she was in her last year of middle school. Stupid, however, she was not. Gullible, no. Slow, well, maybe, but there was no way she was falling for that one. Crossing her arms together, they stared at each other.

"...Didn't you just say earlier that no one deserves to be poisoned?"

"Didn't _you_ say earlier that you wanted to be my apprentice?"

"Master, be reasonable. I'll be the one dying faster than you if I drink that."

"Ha? You don't believe in your master?!"

"Of course I do, it's just that—" The bottle slammed into her mouth and she paled. Aldern, however, already prepared another bottle, which she immediately grabbed. Still feeling nausea and sick, she groaned, collapsing onto the floor, "Master… That was most definitely not an antidote. The world — it's spinning— Torture, I'm being tortured—"

Aldern snorted as he already began preparing another concoction. "To understand how to nullify poisons, one must first understand poisons. Especially so because you are my apprentice and will be handling them daily. I wasn't lying when I said that no one deserves to be poisoned though. You can quit whenever you want. I won't hold it against you to."

Her blue eyes traveled up to see a frown marring his face, even with her blurry vision. She sighed as she gazed at her steadily depleting health bar. Granted, it was much slower than before she drank the second potion…

"I won't." She affirmed after some silence. Whimsical knew her body was going to hate her for this, but she already decided and she never did anything half-assed. Cheekily, she stood back up, "Bring your worst."

He laughed, "That's my apprentice." Carrying her into a chair, he slowly explained the different ingredients and qualities of the poisons.

After six hours of nausea, headaches, shivers, pain, dizziness, and more, Whimsical wondered why she had to pick the hands on master.

 ***Ting***

 **New Stat: Constitution:**

You are less likely to be damaged from special statuses, missed daily activities, and bad habits. You are prohibited from distributing any bonus points to this stat, and it will rise spontaneously, depending on the avatar's action.

If anyone ever says that they want the stat, she was going to shove poison in their mouth.

…

Gahee didn't know when she logged off, still feeling groggy in reality.

"Ah! Sis! You're finally back! Fooood…" The boy collapsed after slouching over the dining table. She sighed and prepared dinner faster than usual. He beamed, digging in voraciously after hours of pure gaming.

"Awesome! Did you get a cooking skill? Everything tastes so much better."

"Are you saying my cooking was bad before?"

"NO! Nonono, I didn't — homicide bad, please—"

"...Well it was." She shrugged at his overreaction, making him blink.

"Is something wrong, sis?"

The girl pondered about her last few (IR) days of obsessive gameplay. The fat old man she met, the plot she was embroiled in now, the idea that she was actually getting used to poison… slowly…

Then she thought of the accomplishment she gained from raising stats and seeing her hard work really matter, the people (all NPCs surprisingly) she met, the fantastical view—

"No. Nothing's wrong, actually. I'm actually… glad you bought the capsules."

"Really? I mean, I knew it! Royal Road's too awesome, right?! Though I'm still beating scarecrows too — it really is really fun! I can't wait until we actually fight monsters and join quests and make money—"

"You still owe me."

"I know." He cried.

Gahee scoffed lightly at her brother's depression as she ate the dish Aldern taught her in Royal Road. Her fists clenched.

" _Just a few more…"_

"Sis."

"Hm?"

"In just a few more days, we'll be free. We'll be travelling and we might even meet in game. And I'll show you that I'm Worth."

It took her a while to realize that Worth was his name and she burst into laughter at the choice, making him redden until she agreed,

"Then I'll show you that I'm Whimsical." Before he could laugh too though, she challenged, "And even when I'm that, I'll be worth more."

They grinned.

"...You're on, sis."

…

"You're cooking now, master?"

She asked upon entering the kitchen to see a variety of fancy dishes on the table. Although she was drooling inwardly, she attempted to control herself for it was most likely not for her. He corrected her thought,

"Of course, Whimsical! After all, today you will graduate from my kitchen!"

"What? Really?!" Whimsical started, staring in disbelief at the old man. Tears nearly fell out as she realized that the poison tasting, curing, and cooking were all finally going to stop—

"Dahaha, sure! Of course, after you eat this, though, you'll have to do one last thing for me."

 ***Ting***

 **Quest: One Last Request**

Aldern has one last request before you graduate.

 **Difficulty:** C

 **Quest Requirement:**

Constitution over 10

After accepting Aldern's dishwashing job and then quest, Whimsical found herself wary of the quest despite its simple appearance. Nothing about the guy was simple — heck, he himself was a former king and now ghoul!

With how learning how to withstand, cure, and cook poison was of Difficulty Level D, she wondered about this higher leveled quest as well. Granted, she was safe the entire time she was becoming Aldern's successor — the guy not once letting her die with his perceptive eyes and cures. That could explain the lower level…

Deciding to not think further on it, she accepted, "I guess I can do it."

 ***Ting***

 **You have accepted the quest!**

Aldern laughed, "Of course you can. I believe in you too."

She blushed at the faith in his eyes, nodding as she focused on the food before her. He ruffled her hair, making her look up as he began.

"Do you know the reason why I chose you to be my apprentice that day? The reason why I didn't hire any more dishwashers despite my fellow chefs asking?"

"There was a reason?"

"Of course, Whimsical, everything has a reason! And why I chose you was because of your dedication to the things you do." Her eyes widened as he confessed, "I saw you practicing at the Training Hall before I approached. Your concentration was outstanding! However you let your greatest strength become your greatest flaw — just like how I had with my own concentration with greed. You heard my story… That day… She smelled like money."

A scene of their first meeting from his perspective flashed before her eyes and she heard coins tinkling, smelled rich metals, and saw golden hair and a manipulative smile amidst the beauty to misers' eyes.

"I couldn't let a child fall down the same path as I so I hired you. And that was the best thing I have ever done." He smiled as he held her shoulder, "No one had ever listened to me as well as you." The king's subjects never cared. "No one has ever done as much for me as you and..." The king learned cooking by himself. "No one has ever stayed with me as long as you." In the end, he was alone.

"Master…"

He shook his head, silencing her as he continued, "There is much potential for cooking in you as well. There is another reason why dishwashing is how apprentices should start. You see…"

He flourished to the feast he made on the table. "Cooking… is an art, my dear. However, the difference between cooking and other crafts like painting or sculpting is that cooking is only an ephemeral beauty. It will not last centuries for future generations to appreciate, it takes too long to truly learn, the pay is not fortunes, the fame is comparably small, and it requires much more clean up. While audiences won't make a mess for a sculptor, they will for a chef. Thus, there is still menial work to do even for the master. Cooking is a servitude that takes insurmountable patience and love to overcome. For you, who never complained once about the mountains of dishes that we Masters have to wash…

I can honestly say you are my greatest apprentice. I can tell that one day you will surpass me. If I am legendary, then you will become far greater than that. You will become Whimsical."

For a moment, she wished she chose a more serious name. But still, it did not subtract anything from the grandness of his booming speech filled with confidence and heart. Of course, the man had to laugh in the end though,

"Dahaha — now enough of that! Eat, eat! I prepared you enough for your graduation task!"

She did and tears fell as she continued eating.

 ***Ting***

 **Health, Mana, and Stamina regeneration have increased by 30%**

 **Maximum Health and Mana have increased by 27%**

 **All Stats increased by 15.**

 **Agility, Constitution, Charm, and Vitality have been furthered increased.**

 **Stamina has been increased by 21%. The effect will be even greater when under stress.**

 **Having enjoyed the joy of being alive and eating good food, Health has permanently increased by 350.**

 **It is difficult to fully understand this work and Head Chef's words due to low Wisdom. Wisdom and Intelligence have permanently increased by 25.**

 **For appreciating a Soullight Grand Masterpiece, Art Stat has risen by 100.**

There was only light. A soft warmth radiated within her as she saw images and memories and love. She saw ingredients melding, glowing not only together but individually to their full potentials. It was then Whimsical realized that she didn't understand poison cooking at all from the start.

The reasons behind understanding poison ingredients was not merely to nullify the poisons, but to bring out the shining good qualities within them. It was to bring out the light in their souls!

 ***Ting***

 **Class Change: Legendary Soullight Chef (Hidden):**

You can convert to a secret class Legendary Soullight Chef. If you accept it, you can learn exclusive skills for the class that are withheld from the primary classes.

Do you want to convert to Legendary Soullight Chef?

 **Yes|No**

" _Master… You really wanted to completely change the soul of the kingdom despite its poisonous past. These…"_

She gazed at the dishes. Each of them were once ugly and poisonous. Now, they were transformed beauties — gemstones within rocks.

Standing up, she resolved. "Yes."

In that moment her avatar was enveloped in light.

Avatar: Whimsical

Alignment: Neutral

Profession: Legendary Soullight Chef

Title: None

Level: 1

Fame: 68

Health: 1600

Mana: 200

Strength: 65

Agility: 84

Vitality: 60

Stamina: 43

Wisdom: 91

Intelligence: 87

Perception: 75

Concentration: 80

Fighting Spirit: 52

Endurance: 63

Perseverance: 42

Constitution: 50

Luck: 50

Faith: 20

Leadership: 49

Charisma: 55

Art: 225

Charm: 40

Offence: 3

Defense: 0

Magic Resistance: None

 **+20 points to all stats (+20 ALL STATS)**

 **+15 points to WISDOM (+15 WIS)**

 **+80 points to ART (+80 ART)**

 **\+ New Stat: FAITH (FAI)**

 **+30% increase to Stats on Clear Days**

Gained ability to equip and use class specific items

Gained ability to learn all craft skills to the stage of a Master

Crafting skills are option and advanced skills are available

Grants extra options to items that are produced or refined

Enables you to learn secret skills based on your level in Cooking Mastery

Increases Fame steadily by feeding people with created food

"Master, what is the last thing you wanted me to do before I graduate?"

…

Whimsical hummed. She couldn't stop smiling after eating the best meal she had ever had, and the chef class she received was not bad! Considering how she already had ten skills, she needed to find a class quickly to go over anyways.

The only problem with her class, though, was definitely her new quest.

Crossing her arms, she stared at her inventory. She had a canteen of water, some leftover bread, a library card, and a wooden sword which she got from the Training Hall Instructor's quest.

"Open Skill Window"

 **Cooking Mastery (Beginner Lv: 9 | 2%)**

Enables you to prepare or cook various types of materials. Easier to win a man's heart.

 **Identification (Beginner Lv: 7 | 75%)**

Enables you to learn the true value of unidentified items.

 **Mana consumption:** 30.

 **Handicraft (Beginner Lv: 6 | 50%)**

Has extra effect on various types of craft skills, and sword mastery.

 **Sword Mastery (Beginner Lv. 4 | 30%)**

Increases attack power and hit rating for swords.

 **Vision (Beginner Lv. 3 | 70%)**

Enables you to see further

 **Observation (Beginner Lv. 3 | 50%)**

Enables you to analyze diverse landscape

 **Listening (Beginner Lv. 3 | 70%)**

Enables you to hear further

 **Alchemy (Beginner Lv. 2 | 80%)**

Enables you to brew potions or modify items.

 **Detoxify (Beginner Lv. 2 | 70%)**

Enables you to remove poisons and harmful substances

 **Herb Gathering (Beginner Lv. 2 | 60%)**

Enables you to gather herbs and differentiate between them

Whimsical sighed in memory. One full month in game has almost passed and already she felt like she been through so much despite having remained in the city. She learned cooking and identification from her master (though the name and description seemed to upgrade after changing class). Sword mastery and handicraft came later through much effort. Vision, observation, and listening appeared suddenly with an increase in Perception. And then alchemy, detoxify, and herb gathering came through much work with poisons.

"After this, three more days of beating scarecrows." She murmured as she closed the window before running to the nearest supply store. Later, she was going to go around town to collect little plants that grew out of cement cracks as well.

Her quest was to surpass her master.

She was going to infiltrate the castle and cook the dungeon fungus that turned her master into a ghoul.


End file.
